A Study of Polymer Solution Rheology, Flow Behavior, and Oil Displacement Processes

Abstract

American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc. This paper was prepared for the 46th Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, held in New Orleans, Oct. 3–6, 1971. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal, provided agreement to give proper credit is made. provided agreement to give proper credit is made. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Abstract Flow and displacement theories for non-Newtonian polymer solutions in porous media have not been advanced to porous media have not been advanced to nearly the extent as those for the Newtonian fluids. At present, the field and experimental data available pertaining to the flow mechanism of pertaining to the flow mechanism of polymer solutions through porous media, polymer solutions through porous media, albeit reliable, are not comprehensive nor complete. Both experimental and theoretical research in development of a more satisfactory theory to describe the flow behavior of polymer solutions in porous media are urgently needed. Laboratory experiments were performed to study the role of mobility performed to study the role of mobility ratio for a process in which oil is displaced from a porous medium by a polymer solution. A reduced friction polymer solution. A reduced friction factor-Reynolds number correlation is developed to predict the flow of various polymer solutions through consolidated porous media and a theory is advanced to explain more truly the flow behavior of a polymer solution as it passes through the cores. The cone and plate viscometer data obtained for a total of 88 solutions of twelve different polymers more frequently used by the petroleum industry appeared to fit the power law equation quite well. The effects on solution viscosity of temperature, sodium chloride concentration, polymer molecular weight and polymer concentration are also discussed. Introduction Among the methods of secondary recovery which have been developed is one which involves the injection of high-viscosity water into the reservoir to improve the mobility ratio and thereby increase the displacement efficiency. The mobility ratio, when two immisicible fluids displace each other, is defined as the ratio of the mobility of the displacing fluid to that of the displaced fluid: displacing M = (1)displaced The mobility ratio is a very important factor in secondary recovery predictions, governing the recovery efficiency of the oil by the displacing fluid. A mobility ratio of greater than one will result in an uneven and an inefficient displacement and a poor oil recovery.